?? The Unseen ??

Apologies for any mistakes you might come across!

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Raven stepped away from the balcony where Kaya and Devon were still laughing—at Raven's antics, no doubt—their silhouettes moving under the warm amber lights that reflected. The air was crisp, the party had ended, and few students were just out enjoying the cool breeze that carried the gentle scent of wood and sea.

Raven sat on a stone bench just outside the garden pathway at the side of the hotel, letting the world around him settle. He stared up at the night sky. It wasn’t like the sky back home. No, this one was painted differently—brushstrokes of unfamiliar constellations, calmer winds, like it had never learned to scream. Like the rain storms he liked so much. Still, he let his thought trail soothe the.. antsy feeling welling up inside him.

They're.. happy.

He had done that. Not alone, no. But he had.. held their hands long enough for them to find each other’s, right? Guided them like babies..

God, now I feel like a parent.

But that was enough.

Right?

His fingers ached. Not from injury, no. Rather, it felt like he'd been holding so tightly to everything—responsibilities, pain, control, other things he probably wasn't even conscious of—that even letting go of two people now left him.. trembling.

This isn't good for me.

He stared up at the sky again. Unlike the one at home, this one didn't give him answers. Nor reprieve, nor a sense of calm. The calm, serene, ethereal kind of aura the sky gave at the moment only made him more restless and unsatisfied.

He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

What exactly is my problem?

Really. This was ridiculous. In every sense of the word. It wasn't the end of the world or anything. They weren't going to like.. leave and escape to a different timeline or dimension. They were just together. They'd found each other, and even if calling it love right at the spot was not just unrealistic but incredulous; it was still a beautiful concept.

Yet, some part of him, the tired, cracked part that always sat in the corner of his chest, whispered, "So who do YOU have?"

WHAT do you HAVE?

He smiled anyway. It was expected of him. It was starting to come easy anyway. The faking.

Manage the pain. Fake the smile. Right?

He felt like a fraud.

At least he didn't need to fake it too much. Because he could hear Kaya laughing down the hall. He could be happy for Devon—depressed, emotionally constipated Devon—finally showing his feelings at least.

He looked down. And was genuinely surprised to see his bag. Then, looked around and noticed the other's bags were also here. He scoffed.

Of course they all dumped the bags here.. lazy bunch..

He reached down, opening his bag's first zipper to take the drawing Devon had given him. Back then during training. The one where Devon said he was like a bird—fast, free, midflight.

The pencil lines curved, sketching out the fabric of his jersey, the bend of his spine, the 'determined' set of his jaw. He looked... light. Like he belonged in the air. Like he was born to move, to fly.

Ridiculous.

Raven stared at it for a long time.  Longer than he meant to. Then chuckled.

He couldn't help but wonder if that's how Devon really saw him. Way back, he said he'd seen him like a solo pillar. Standing, alone, weathered yet unyielding. To him,it was more like a concept. He couldn't really put his name and a pillar in the same sentence even if he tried.